It’s not exactly going to be the biggest game in the Big Ten this week, but there is still a lot on the line.

Michigan is coming off of an exciting win over the Illini to become bowl-eligible for the first time in the Rich Rod era. That game cleared so much for the Wolverines. They stopped talk of a conference repeat from last year, gave Rodriguez a game that was a must-win, and proved that they don’t need Denard Robinson to do serious damage. All of that sets up for a lower profile game in West Laffayete.

This is a very important game for Michigan. They are now playing to up their bowl status. You certainly can’t do that if the defense isn’t able to stop Purdue.

For Purdue, they are on a three game losing streak after starting out 5-2, including a win over Northwestern (who was ranked at the time). They still can’t decide if they are wanting to be good or not this year. That’s why you can’t nessecarily count them out for this one. If they do bring their A game, this could be close. If they bring anything other than the best, Michigan will roll.

Michigan will jump out on top, stay on top and win. It will be a good win for the Wolverines, as they roll 56-30.

The Big Ten had an exciting day of football. It took three overtimes, over 1,000 combined yards, and 132 points to settle one in Ann Arbor. Indiana and Iowa took it down to the final minute. And Joe Paterno picked number 400. It all just goes to show that nothing is written in stone for the Big Ten.

For a game flying under the radar this week, Wisconsin had a rough time getting things started at Purdue, trailing 10-6 at the end of the first half. They couldn’t do anything against the Boilermaker defense. But then the second half began. That’s when all hopes of an upset quickly sailed away. Wisconsin was able to break down the defense and get some points on the board, while Purdue’s offense was shut down. Four turnovers pulled them out of the game, and Wisconsin went on to win, 34-13. (Prediction: Wisc-45 Purdue-17).

Let’s head over to East Lansing where the Spartans were looking for a good bounce-back win after last week’s embarrassing loss to Iowa. What better team to play than Minnesota? This game was over when the schedules were released. The only down side for the Spartans was that Cousins did not have a very good game at all. He completed less than 50% of his passes, no touchdowns, one interception. The running game, though, was bullet-proof. Led by Edwin Baker (179 yards, 4 touchdowns), State went for 189 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the problems for Minnesota continue to pile up. With one lonesome win over Middle Tennessee, the Gophers have yet to pick up even a second win, let alone a win in the Big Ten. Weber and Gray combined for 191 yards through the air with one touchdown and one interception. And the ground attack continues to weaken, only going for 76 yards with no touchdowns. Michigan State won, 31-8. (Prediction: Mich St-42 Minn-7)

Now, if you read back on my post with the predictions for this week, I clearly said to not be surprised if Iowa experienced some upset hangover. But I don’t think anyone expected anything quite like what happened in Bloomington. No, the Hawkeyes weren’t upset, but it went down to the final minute. And even then, they lucked out with an Indiana error in the endzone when the possible game-winning touchdown pass was dropped. Stanzi completed 22 of his 33 passes for 290 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Indiana went out and did what exactly what I knew they would; battle it out. The offense was once again led by Chapel, who went for 222 yards through the air against a nationally respected defense. All in all, Indiana could not pull through in the final minute, and Iowa won, 18-13. (Prediction: Iowa-42 Ind-24)

Earlier today in Happy Valley, Joe Paterno grabbed his 400th win as coach! It was an incredible thing to witness. For a while, though, it looked as though Penn State was not going to fare so well with the Wildcats of Northwestern. At the end of the first half, Northwestern was leading 21-7. Penn State’s seven came on a last-minute drive. Unfortunately, Northwestern forgot football is played in two halves. As soon as it got going, it was all Nittany Lions. Incredible defense shut out the Wildcat offense, let by Dan Persa, the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lion offense started putting up points at will, scoring 21 in the third and 7 in the fourth. For Northwestern, Dan Persa threw for 201 yards and one touchdown. He also led the offense in rushing with 109 yards and two touchdowns. He received very little help from any of the other backs. McGloin had an outstanding day breaking apart that secondary of the Wildcats. He threw for 225 yards and 4 touchdowns. And, unlike Persa, McGloin received a lot of help from his backs who combined for 286 yards on the ground. It was a tremendous second half comeback as the Nittany Lions win, 35-21. (Prediction: PSU-30 N’Western- 24)

Well, if last week was a must-win for the Wolverines, I don’t even know what this week was classified as. So much was on the line for both teams, and they gave the Big Ten perhaps the best game of the day inside the conference. In the early stages, Michigan’s defense actually saved the offense by holding the Illini to only a field goal twice. Going into the second quarter, Michigan led 7-6. But that score had absolutely no reflection on the rest of the game. Both offenses were unstoppable, and the score was tied at 31 at the half. From there, defense proved to be very crucial. There were only a combined 28 points through the rest of regulation. Denard Robinson threw for a career-high 305 yards, plus 62 rushing yards, before leaving the game with cuncussion-like symptoms. But Michigan has this other guy named Tate Forcier. You may have heard of him. It turns out he is pretty good, too. Tate came in and threw 114 passing yards, 33 yards on the ground, and two touchdowns. Illinois’s Scheelhaase tossed the ball for 211 yards and three touchdowns. This game went into not one, not two, but three overtimes! As you know, in the third overtime you have to go for the two-point conversion if you score. Michigan did this successfully, but the Illini were unable to covert after their score. So Michigan went against my votes, winning 67-65. (Prediction: Mich-35 Illini-42)

This game, for Michigan, is very similar to last week's in that they are playing a team on the rise. And last week, Michigan was unable to rise to the challenge, losing to Penn State 31-41. It was yet another disappointing outing for the Wolverine defense, but Denard Robinson found his rythem again.

For Illinois, they are coming off of a blow-out win against Purdue last week, and that put them at five wins. If they were to win in Ann Arbor this week, that would make the Fighting Illini bowl eligible.

Where does the momentum come from if you're Michigan? Well, it comes from the fact that Denard Robinson came back against the Nittany Lions for right up near 200 yards passing and rushing each. Plus, as of Thursday, Michigan's investigation for exceeding practice hours will be dropped by the NCAA. This is an excellent opportunity to make a huge jump forward.

Looking at the big picture here, if Michigan can jump out to an early lead, that could prove to be fatal towards the Illini. In the last two games, Michigan has sparked fourth quarter rallies that have fallen short due to a horrible defense. Jumping out early would hopefully mean they would be able to carry that momentum through the rest of the game.

How to win if you are Illinois: Run the ball! Even though they are going up against arguably the worst pass defense in the nation, Illinois is one of the worst passing teams. They are only averaging 143 yards through the air a game. However, when it comes to running the ball, the Illini are ranked 24th in the nation, averaging near 200 yards per game. And of course, Michigan hasn't been able to stop the run all year either. It doesn't just stop at running the ball, though. That defense has to try to contain Denard Robinson, and keep everything in front of them. Don't give up the long ball; make them drive down the field.

My prediction: This is very hard to say. If Michigan can find an early rhythm, anything can happen. As we've seen before, once Denard Robinson gets going, it's like trying to tell Brett Farve to retire. He won't go down! However, if Michigan is unable to find that crucial early rhythm, I like Illinois chances in this one. Either way, this game will go down to the fourth quarter. So, if I had to put money on it, I would say Illinois leaves with a win, 42-35.